Holly Kavonic was born and raised in KZN, South Africa. From an early age she began to draw and paint, with an enthusiastic drive that persisted and flourished throughout her school years.
Holly pursued a career in Graphic Design following a year of travelling within the United States, but in 2007, she decided she could make a much larger impact on society through Fine Art and proceeded to dedicate herself to the completion of four particular portrait paintings that would later attract the attention of her future mentor.
In 2008, Louis Bruwer; a well-respected gentleman and patron of the arts in South Africa, contacted Holly while she was living abroad in the United States. Having a deep interest in Holly’s work and with a capacity for great vision, Louis Bruwer was the spark that ignited Holly’s career. By 2010 she began displaying her work at Pacific Crest Gallery in South Lake Tahoe, California. Now 15 years later, her work may still be viewed at Pacific Crest Gallery, as well as Mountain Trails Gallery in Bozeman, Montana.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My goal is the Renaissance- the Rehabilitation … of Beauty, through a great deal of precision and detail. I seek to display the magnificence of beauty and life itself, by combining deliberative inspirational craftsmanship with a studious and meditative approach.
I believe subtle, almost sub-conscious beauty can pervade the most unlikely subject matter – something I see, or rather feel in the weathered stature of an old man, or through the steady gaze of a still and silent wolf….a beauty and nobility in spirit of all living things that surpasses understanding and defies simple explanation. You cannot describe it. You cannot put it down in words. Neither can you say exactly where you might find it. But you know it when you see it, and it is that beauty that I seek to record on canvas. I aim to create art that hooks into something more deep-running in our nature. I hope to bring a more selfless awareness of those around us and to encourage a deep respect for nature and an absolute awe for God’s creation”
SHOWS, RECOGNITION AND AWARDS
2021
Western Design Conference Exhibit & Sale – Jackson Hole, WY
Richeson 75 Annual International Wildlife Competition – Top 75 Finalist
2022
Reno Tahoe International Art Show- Reno, NV
David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation – Wildlife Artist of the Year 2022 Exhibition (“Watching, waiting”)
2023
Reno Tahoe International Art Show- Reno, NV
2023 SAA 62nd Annual Exhibition – Turtle Rock Bay Exploration Park, Redding, CA. (“Predator”)
Richeson 75 Annual International Wildlife Competition – Best of Show
Into the Wild Art Competition – 3rd Place
2024
Richeson 75 Annual International Wildlife Competition – Best in Show
Art Renewal Center – 17th International Arc Salon Competition – Finalist and Honorable Mention received – work included in the Lunar Codex Time Capsule (The Lunar Codex is an archive of contemporary art, books, music, poetry, and film, launched via NASA’s Artemis partners to the Moon.)
2025
Wild Heart Gallery – Masters of Equine Art – Best in Show
SAA 65th ‘Art and the Animal’ Annual Exhibition – The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho, Idaho Falls, ID (“Watching, waiting”)
Hyper-realistic Oil Paintings 